Plaza de la Reina
Cathedral square rebuilt over a Visigothic building unearthed mid-renovation and reburied for later study.
Location
About this audio guide
In Valencia's Plaza de la Reina, a 2021 renovation meant to widen pavements ran into stone cut and dressed by hand less than a meter below the flagstones. Archaeologist Paqui Rubio led the team that uncovered true ashlar walls and a fallen column near the cathedral's Baroque Iron Gate, dated to the twilight of Roman rule in the fifth or sixth century, evidence of a Visigothic building historians had long suspected but never located. Nearby diggers also turned up a Roman bakery oven, Islamic pottery, coins from the reign of Jaume the First, and the iron rails of a century-old tram line. Stand in the open square and consider how many eras are stacked beneath your feet.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Plaza del Tossal
Buried Islamic city gate and defensive tower, unearthed beneath a lively square and shown in an underground gallery.
La Almoina Archaeological Museum
Sunken Roman forum, baths, and warehouse ruins, excavated over two decades beneath a medieval almshouse.
Cripta Arqueológica de la Prisión de San Vicente
Visigothic funerary chapel long venerated as the cell where a martyred deacon died on broken pottery.
Centro de Arte Hortensia Herrero (CAHH)
Restored medieval palace built over a Roman circus, now seventeen rooms of major contemporary art.
Portal de Valldigna
Semicircular ashlar arch marking the old boundary between the Christian city and its medieval Moorish quarter.
Jardin De Parcent
Formal garden of fountains and marble statues built over the site of a demolished baroque palace.